Distinct CCL2, CCL5, CCL11, CCL27, IL-17, IL-6, BDNF serum profiles correlate to different job-stress outcomes

• Published in: Neurobiology of stress 2018-02, Vol.8, p.82-91
• Main Authors: Polacchini, Alessio, Girardi, Damiano, Falco, Alessandra, Zanotta, Nunzia, Comar, Manola, De Carlo, Nicola Alberto, Tongiorgi, Enrico
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomarkers, chemokines; Chronic stress; Growth factors; Interleukines, neurotrophic factors; Multiplex immunoassay; Original; Psychophysical strain; Serum proteomic
• ISSN: 2352-2895; 2352-2895
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.02.002

Chronic psychosocial stress at workplace is an important factor in the development of physical and mental illness. Objective biological measures of chronic stress are still lacking, but inflammatory response and growth factors are increasingly considered as potential stress biomarkers. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between psychophysical strain and serum levels of 48 chemokines, cytokines and growth factors measured using a multiplex immunoassay, and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) measured by ELISA. Severity of psychophysical strain was scored in 115 healthy hospital workers using specific scales for anxiety, depression-like emotion, gastrointestinal or cardiac disturbances, and ergonomic dysfunction. Multivariate analysis revealed that higher anxiety scale scores were correlated with lower serum chemokine C-C motif ligand-2 (CCL2/MCP-1), chemokine C-C motif ligand-5 (CCL5/RANTES), chemokine C-C motif ligand-27 (CCL27/CTACK), chemokine C-C motif ligand-11 (CCL11/Eotaxin) and interleukin-6 (IL-6); gastrointestinal disturbances correlated with increased levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and reduced CCL11/Eotaxin, CCL27/CTACK and CCL2/MCP-1; while cardiac dysfunctions associate only to reduced CCL27/CTACK, and ergonomic dysfunction correlated with increased BDNF and reduced CCL11/Eotaxin and CCL5/RANTES. Thus, these 7 serum factors may provide a distinct signature for each different stress-related psychophysical outcome giving indications on individual vulnerabilities. [Display omitted] •Overall Strain was associated with low serum levels of the chemokines CCL11, CCL27, CCL2, CCL5.•Anxiety was associated with low serum levels of CCL11, CCL27, CCL2, CCL5 and IL-6.•Gastrointestinal complains associated with High levels of the interleukin IL-17, together with low CCL11, CCL27, CCL2.•Ergonomic problems associated with low CCL11 and CCL5 and increased BDNF, and cardiac disturbances associated with reduced CCL2.•These 7 serum markers may help in prevention of developing more severe diseases in these particular psychophysical domains.